The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) will move forward with its federal criminal case against Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Storm, despite earlier internal signals suggesting a possible policy shift, according to Decrypt, which cited sources familiar with the matter.
Storm faces multiple charges, including money laundering, sanctions evasion, and operating an unlicensed money transmitting business, stemming from his role in developing Tornado Cash—an Ethereum-based privacy protocol that enables users to obscure the origin and destination of crypto transactions.
Trial Set Despite DOJ Memo
Last month, an internal DOJ memo suggested that the agency might re-evaluate its approach to crypto mixing services and their developers. However, that reconsideration appears limited in scope. Prosecutors are now pressing ahead with the case, and Storm’s trial is scheduled to begin within the next two months in a Manhattan federal courtroom.
Recent court filings show that the DOJ has agreed to drop one part of the charge—specifically, the allegation that Storm operated an unlicensed money transmitting business. The decision came after legal teams pointed to inconsistencies between the charge and existing federal guidelines.
Regulatory Ambiguity Over Crypto Mixers
The move reflects growing friction between regulators and the developers of decentralized, non-custodial financial software. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) clarified in 2019 that non-custodial platforms like Tornado Cash do not meet the legal definition of a “money transmitter.”
While this prompted the DOJ to scale back a portion of its case, it remains committed to prosecuting Storm for alleged violations related to sanctions and illicit finance.
Tornado Cash gained global attention in 2022 when it was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which claimed the platform was used by North Korean hacking group Lazarus to launder over $1 billion in stolen cryptocurrency.
The Bigger Picture
Storm’s case could set a precedent for how U.S. authorities treat open-source developers who build privacy tools in the crypto space. Legal experts say the trial will likely be closely watched by developers, privacy advocates, and international regulators, as it may help define the legal limits of decentralization and the responsibilities of coders under U.S. law.
If convicted, Storm could face significant prison time.
Kosta Gushterov
Reporter at Coindoo
Kosta has been a part of the team since 2021 and has solidified his position with a thirst for knowledge, incredible dedication to his work and a “detective-like” mindset. He not only covers a wide range of trending topics, he also creates reviews, PR articles and educational content. His work has also been referenced by other news outlets.
Source: https://coindoo.com/doj-will-proceed-with-criminal-case-against-tornado-cash-developer-roman-storm/